Elon Musk plans rocket flights from London to New York in 29 minutes

Speaking at the 68th International Astronautical Congress in Australia, SpaceX founder Elon Musk unveiled a new rocket design – the super-heavy BFR (Big Falcon Rocket), which is conceived to carry humans to Mars.

It could also be useful on Earth as an ultra-fast means of transporting passengers anywhere on the planet, according to Engadget. Musk’s speech was broadcast live on the website SpaceX.

The new rocket design will serve as the basis for the development of a transportation system. The BFR is expected to be over 100 meters long and 9 meters in diameter. The first stage of the launch vehicle is planned to be equipped with 31 Raptor engines. They promise the rocket will be as reliable as an airplane and will be able to land safely even if an engine fails (unlike the Falcon 9). The spacecraft, it is specified, will not have landing «legs.»

According to Musk, the BFR will be cheaper than the existing Falcon 1, Falcon 9, and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles. The company plans to finance the program with funds SpaceX receives for satellite launches. In 2018, SpaceX plans to conduct 30 launches, with plans to increase this number to 60. This year, 13 have been completed, and a total of 20 launches were planned for the current year, CNBC reports. https://youtu.be/zqE-ultsWt0
«If you’re building a ship capable of reaching Mars, why not fly it on Earth?» the speaker asked rhetorically, showing a promotional video of a passenger-carrying rocket traveling from New York to Shanghai in 30 minutes and from London to Dubai in 29 minutes.

BFR rockets carrying passenger modules could launch from offshore platforms, where high-speed vessels would deliver passengers. The presentation doesn’t specify the average travel time from port to the nearest offshore platform.